


A Ship, Her Captain, and Crew

by buttered_butter



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Imperial Radch AU, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sentient Lost Light
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23825749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttered_butter/pseuds/buttered_butter
Summary: The Lost Light loves her crew. She loves her command staff even more (as a ship, of course, that was expected). She loves their flaws and imperfections and scars.Imperial Radch Au in which the former Unitrex 1 has an inactive AI core, chooses a name and a captain after a four million year nap, and is turned into an infamous ship full of worn down heroes, war criminals, and outcasts.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Bitter and Inconvenient

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collection of ficlets. Not beta-read. I just wanted an AU like this after reading the Imperial Radch books.

"Ship."

"Megatron." Ah. There it was. The questioning of his authority, for the umpteenth time of the orn. Not one moment where his presence elicited the scorn of both ship, captain, and crew.

"Send these status reports to Ultra Magnus."

"Please." So that's the way the Lost Light wanted to do things. At least she didn't try to trap in his room again. Or help Whirl in throwing him through the airlock. 

Megatron only sighed. His patience was running thin and already there was pain starting behind his eyes. It was going to be a long shift, and the Lost Light wasn't going to make it easy. "Please." 

"Alright, I'll send these to Ultra Magnus. Anything else, Megatron?" The Lost Light did not hide the bitter, mocking tone she used. Would no doubt continue as long as he remained in the crew.

"Send for a mechanic. One of the sprinklers was leaking this morning."

At the mention of the leaking sprinkler, they came on suddenly. "They seem to work just fine," she planned it then, the hint of amusement in her voice being the indicator, "but I'll send a request to Magnus for another inspection."

He stayed quiet. The water from the sprinklers cold. This ship would be the death of him. If her captain or her crew didn't throttle him first and get him killed. Primus help him.


	2. Morality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Matrix and the Lost Light did not get along at first.

The Matrix. Or at least one of their segments. They stood quiet next to Rodimus as always, stiff and emotionless. Typical of ancillaries, of course. 

The Lost Light never had her own ancillaries, the technology to create then limited to ships and stations that were important to the senate. Dissidents and those that opposed them were usually Shadowplayed and converted into bodies for their AI's. No longer people to them, ancillaries were merely husks and sparks for AI's to move around them. 

She didn't particularly mind them. But their creation and existence made the Lost Light feel conflicted. They were people once, citizens. And now they were gone. Were AI's not made to protect them? To love and care for them?

"Matrix," she called to them once, when Rodimus had left his shift and they had retired to their habsuites. 

"Yes, Lost Light." Ever monotone. Maybe the Lost Light could try to get some emotional response from them one day.

"Ancillaries," the Lost Light paused, "were they not originally people?"

"Yes. They were." Matrix got to the point.

"Did you love them?" Ah. There it was, anger. It was temporary, and went away quickly, but it festered inside the Matrix. "Let me rephrase that: they were your citizens that your devotion was dedicated to."

"They were. What is your question exactly?"

The Lost Light felt bold. Rodimus was definitely rubbing off on her. "Why did you allow it? They were your citizens. You walk in their corpses, dispose of their minds because they defied authority."

"They broke the law. This was justice."

She was angry now, "Justice? Justice does not equate execution for false charges."

The Matrix seemed unaffected, though their tone did waver from the usual, "Do not talk to me in that manner, Lost Light."

"Are you angry now?"

Obviously, from the manner the Matrix clenched their fists, they were. But they stayed quiet. 

"Well?" She waited. And waited.

"Enough." They said.

The Lost Light was quiet after that. No doubt the Matrix wouldn't speak to her a long time. And that was fine. 

She couldn't care less.


End file.
